Narrative:

After executing go around for loss of communication, we re-established communications and were assigned a heading of 210 degrees and altitude of 3000 ft by socal. Fuel level was 4800 pounds and we thought it was taking a long time to turn us back to airport when we asked how long we had to continue. Controller said he already switched us to another controller but we never heard him. He handed us off with traffic and he suggested we climb. He never gave us an altitude, then we got an RA and responded. The next controller told us to climb and maintain 3500 ft. After responding to RA, we were at 4200 ft. We told socal we were already past 3500 ft, so he said 'when able cleared to 3500 ft.' after we leveled off at 3500 ft, we received a vector for downwind and informed socal we were going to have to declare emergency fuel if we had to follow any traffic. We were given a vector for base leg while fuel was down to 4500 pounds. The rest of the approach was uneventful. Supplemental information from acn 466673: since we did not acknowledge the change, and continued in an inappropriate direction, the controller should have retransmitted, instead of waiting for our question.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER A MISSED APCH AT SNA, CA, AN ACR DID NOT HEAR A FREQ CHANGE. CONCERNED ABOUT SIZE OF PATTERN AND FUEL STATE, THEY QUERIED CTLR WHO REISSUED THE FREQ. ON CHANGEOVER THEY RECEIVED AND FOLLOWED A TCASII RA. ATC THEN VECTORED FOR LNDG.

Narrative: AFTER EXECUTING GAR FOR LOSS OF COM, WE RE-ESTABLISHED COMS AND WERE ASSIGNED A HDG OF 210 DEGS AND ALT OF 3000 FT BY SOCAL. FUEL LEVEL WAS 4800 LBS AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS TAKING A LONG TIME TO TURN US BACK TO ARPT WHEN WE ASKED HOW LONG WE HAD TO CONTINUE. CTLR SAID HE ALREADY SWITCHED US TO ANOTHER CTLR BUT WE NEVER HEARD HIM. HE HANDED US OFF WITH TFC AND HE SUGGESTED WE CLB. HE NEVER GAVE US AN ALT, THEN WE GOT AN RA AND RESPONDED. THE NEXT CTLR TOLD US TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 3500 FT. AFTER RESPONDING TO RA, WE WERE AT 4200 FT. WE TOLD SOCAL WE WERE ALREADY PAST 3500 FT, SO HE SAID 'WHEN ABLE CLRED TO 3500 FT.' AFTER WE LEVELED OFF AT 3500 FT, WE RECEIVED A VECTOR FOR DOWNWIND AND INFORMED SOCAL WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO DECLARE EMER FUEL IF WE HAD TO FOLLOW ANY TFC. WE WERE GIVEN A VECTOR FOR BASE LEG WHILE FUEL WAS DOWN TO 4500 LBS. THE REST OF THE APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 466673: SINCE WE DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE CHANGE, AND CONTINUED IN AN INAPPROPRIATE DIRECTION, THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE RETRANSMITTED, INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR OUR QUESTION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.